DJ Paul and Travis Scott have settled a copyright lawsuit the former filed against the latter over similarities between Three 6 Mafia’s 1997 track “Tear Da Club Up” and Scott’s Astroworld song “No Bystanders.”
DJ Paul’s initial lawsuit sought $20 million in damages, although the financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The four members of Three 6 Mafia — DJ Paul, Juicy J, Crunchy Black and Gangsta Boo — also now have writing credits on “No Bystanders.”
Speaking with Rolling Stone, DJ Paul explained that he and Scott settled the matter soon after news of lawsuit broke: “He called me up and we basically figured it out right there on the spot,” Paul said. “He was cool, he was like, ‘Let’s knock it out. Whatchu need?’”
In his lawsuit, DJ Paul claimed that the “Fuck the club up” chant on “No Bystanders” had a “cadence and sound” that was “virtually identical and strikingly similar” to the hook on “Tear Da Club Up.” The lawsuit also cited Scott’s performance at the 2019 Grammys, where he changed the song’s lyrics to “Tear the club up.”
Paul clarified, however, that Scott never tried to bite the “Tear Da Club Up” hook or sneak it into the song without properly crediting Three 6 Mafia. “He really thought that the business got taken care of with the song,” Paul said. “It was some other label issues that didn’t get the paperwork to me… But this whole time he thought it was clear. I was like, ‘Nobody ever called me.’”
In an official statement provided by his rep, DJ Paul noted that, having settled the lawsuit, he was looking “forward to some future collaborations with” Scott. When asked what he hoped that song might sound like, Paul cracked with a laugh, “Oh man, to be honest, he did so good with ‘Tear Da Club Up,’ I’d probably pick another Three 6 song!”
Earlier this month, DJ Paul and Juicy J reunited Three 6 Mafia for the first three shows with former members and collaborators Gangsta Boo, Crunchy Black, Project Pat, Lil Wyte and La Chat. The group will perform again on October 11th at the Loud Records 25th anniversary show in Newark, New Jersey, and October 12th in Southaven, Mississippi, just outside their hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.
Scott, meanwhile, released his most recent album, Astroworld last year, while in August he dropped a new Netflix documentary, Look Mom I Can Fly. The rapper recently appeared alongside Ozzy Osbourne on Post Malone’s “Take What You Want,” and he’s set to release his next solo single, “Highest In the Room,” October 4th.
